With so many day MLB games Thursday, we’re only left with four games to build our SuperDraft rosters on the main DFS slate. SuperDraft has unique ways to play with the “multiplier” mode where there is no salary cap, so enjoy picking everyone you want. Instead, the safer/chalkier players have lower multipliers, while the players that appear to have more risk have higher multipliers, allowing for more upside.
There appears to be some rain in Baltimore and Philadelphia that could complicate those games. Make sure there won’t be any rainouts and all your players are in their lineups.
Pitchers
Framber Valdez, Houston Astros (2x score multiplier)
Valdez is not in the best of form lately, giving up four earned runs in back-to-back starts, which is likely why he has such a high multiplier. However, he has the best matchup on the slate, as the Rangers have the worst wOBA (.284) and wRC+ (79) against left-handed pitching in baseball. He also pitched against them three starts ago, allowing two earned runs in seven innings while striking out seven. I’m going to eat what I’m assuming will be the chalk and rock with Valdez.
Dietrich Enns, Tampa Bay Rays (2x)
Enns has one of the better matchups on the slate against the Tigers even though they have won five of their last six games. That one loss was at the hands of Enns when he pitched four scoreless innings with six strikeouts out of the bullpen. Granted that performance seems to be more of an outlier when you look at his game log but that’s why we have the 2x multiplier. I’ll bank on Tigers 25.9% strikeout rate (2nd highest in MLB) and below-average wOBA (.303) and wRC+ (90) against right-handed pitching. I also like the narrative that he needs to continue to impress in order to have a shot at the Rays postseason roster.
Hitters
Randy Arozarena, Tampa Bay Rays (1.7x)
I want to pick on Tyler Anderson even though he is having the best month of his season. Since 2019, Anderson has struggled against right-handed hitters with a .363 wOBA, .230 ISO, 42.3% hard contact rate, and 41.9% fly ball rate. A matchup with a pitcher giving up hard hit fly balls is exactly what we want. Arozarena has excelled against left-handed pitching in his short career with a .407 wOBA, .274 ISO and 35.3% hard contact rate.
Mike Zunino, Tampa Bay Rays (1.5x)
Who had Zunino down for a career-high 30 home runs already this season? Not me, that’s for sure. The slugger has been great against lefties since 2019 with a .361 wOBA, .309 ISO, and 36% hard contact rate and has a great multiplier Thursday.
Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros (1.15x)
Glenn Otto has only pitched 13 innings in the big leagues, but his splits are much worse against left-handed hitters with a .400 wOBA. Alvarez is the best lefty on the Astros and a fly ball hitter, which should help counter Otto’s ground ball tendencies.
Trey Mancini, Baltimore Orioles (1.35x)
Mancini was scratched from the lineup Wednesday, so make sure to check on his status before lock. Jordan Montgomery is on the bump after giving up five earned runs to the Mets in his last start. Mancini is a beast against left-handed pitching with a .383 wOBA, .265 ISO, and 36.1% hard contact rate since 2019. Mancini has been successful against him in the past with nine hits in 21 at-bats, including a home run.
Slate Overview
Thursday offers a very unique slate, with all but one of the pitchers having a 2x multiplier. There’s no doubt Kyle Hendricks (1.7x) is the best pitcher on the slate, but I’m avoiding him tonight for a couple of reasons. First, he has been very inconsistent this season. Second, I don’t think his ceiling is as high with the lower multiplier and the Phillies need to win to stay in the playoff race. From this game in particular I’d rather roster Bryce Harper (1.25x) with how hot he has been at the plate. The Rays and Astros are my favorite stacks on the slate going against some bad bullpens.
This article expresses the personal views of the writer and does not reflect the view(s) of SuperDraft in any way.
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